The Wolves of Beddhafn
by thesilentlamb
Summary: The Doctor and Sarah Jane investigate mysterious goings on at a field studies centre in Wales. My first bash at a longer story involving these two. Reviews are most welcome! **Now Complete**
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, one and all. This is the first chapter of what I hope will be my first episode length fic involving the Doctor and Sarah Jane. I just wanted to say thank you ****so much**** to everyone who has reviewed and/or favourited my other stories, it's been hugely encouraging!**

**This is actually set at a real place that I went to when I was 17; if anyone's interested you can PM me and I'll tell you its real name so you can look it up online and see some pictures. **

**As always, everything is owned by the BBC.**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – Chapter 1**_

The TARDIS landed with a shudder while Sarah Jane braced herself against the railings.

"Where are we Doctor?" she asked as he examined the console.

His furrowed brow belayed his confusion; he had been aiming for renaissance Italy.

"Wales, by the looks of it. Twentieth century, late 1970s" he answered, continuing to murmur to himself, or rather, to the TARDIS "now just why have you brought us here, old girl?"

"Well," said Sarah with confidence; Britain in her own time seemed less than threatening; "there can't be anything too bad out there, can there?"

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow and headed over to the door, opening it with a flourish.

"After you then, Sarah."

Sarah stepped out of the TARDIS to be greeted with a forest carpeted with pine needles. The dark blue sky overhead suggested a late spring evening. Cautiously she took a few steps forward, long experience of travelling with the Doctor making her wary of what could be lurking behind any tree or thicket. The Doctor followed behind at her shoulder as they advanced, the softness of the ground cushioning his footsteps so he moved almost silently.

"Aha!" he suddenly exclaimed, making Sarah jump in surprise.

"What?" she asked, giving him a smack on the arm.

"Over there" he gestured with his left arm, waving over to the side.

Sarah followed his gaze and realised with surprise that they were not more than twenty feet from a gravel path which led up to what looked like the back entrance of a country manor house. The Doctor immediately headed in that direction with long bouncy strides while Sarah jogged along behind him. The path was on a fairly steep slope, heading up to the manor in one direction, and down through the woods in the other. A sharp curve where it turned to the right downhill made it impossible to see where it led in the other direction.

The Doctor shrugged and headed up to the back door of the manor. Outside on the door step was a metal grate serving as a doormat come bootscraper covered in smears of mud and dirt. He shooed away a toad from the ground beside the step with his foot so he could peer through the tiny window to the side of the door. Sarah, pressing her face to the glass in the door, could see a cloak room full of hanging cagoules and sou'westers and stacked wellington boots. She tried the handle and the door swung open; they were greeted with the overwhelming smell of damp clothes and many bodies.

"Gosh, it smells like the changing rooms at school," she complained, holding an arm over her nose.

"School?" questioned the Doctor, his head on one side. "Of course!"

He swung on his heel and headed back out of the door, Sarah following on his heels as he skirted the path round the side of the building. A field off to their left was full of sheep, just visible in the gathering dusk. As they turned the corner round to the front Sarah could see a gravel drive leading up to what must have once been a rather grand entrance, beautifully lit by the orange of the setting sun which reflected off the windows. They ascended the few wide steps up the front doors. To the right was a brass plaque which read "Beddhafn Field Studies Centre".

The Doctor squared his shoulders and pressed the old fashioned doorbell next to the plaque. After half a minute they could hear bolts being slid back and one of the doors swung aside to reveal a red haired man with a short beard, wearing a checked shirt and v necked jumper.

"Can I help you?" he enquired, giving the Doctor a confused look.

"Doctor Smith" said the Doctor, holding up the psychic paper for the man to inspect. "Are you in charge here?"

"Professor Carter" answered the man, putting just the slightest emphasis on the first word. "I'm the Centre Manager here, yes."

The Doctor held out his hand and shook Professor Carter's vigorously.

"My associate, Miss Smith" he said gesturing to Sarah Jane. "No relation" he added as an afterthought.

The professor eyed Sarah Jane with sharp brown eyes and she twitched under his gaze. He tore his eyes from her and turned back to the Doctor.

"Forgive me, but we weren't expecting anyone," he began.

"Of course, of course. We're here to inspect the premises. All field centres accommodating students who are under the age of 18 are to be reviewed." The Doctor gave the other man a winning smile. "Jelly baby?" he asked holding out the bag.

Professor Carter hesitantly reached out and took one without taking his eyes away from the Doctor's face.

"Well, I suppose… you'd better come in."

Sarah followed the Doctor into a large entrance hall. The walls were panelled with dark wood and the floor was carpeted in a thick patterned rug which stretched almost from wall to wall, leaving a few inches of polished wooden floor around the edges. The wide staircase immediately in front of them was carpeted in the same thick rug, and turned back on itself as it rose to the first floor. Sarah gazed upwards at a chandelier that hung from the ceiling two storeys above on a long chain. To their left was a small sitting room full of armchairs, with a television on a wheeled metal stand at the far end next to a fireplace. To their right was a dining room with eight tables on either side, each seating six. An aisle down the middle of the room ended at a door at the far end which Sarah guessed led into the kitchen. She wandered away from the Doctor who was talking with, or rather at, the befuddled looking professor and peered through another door to the left of the staircase which opened on to another, smaller set of stairs which led down to the basement. She could hear the sounds of laughter and conversation flowing from below and the distinctive clacking of snooker balls.

"Well, I suppose it's settled" said Professor Carter and she turned back to the two men.

"The students are all on free time now," he continued, turning slightly to include her in the conversation. "But you are more than welcome to observe them tomorrow once they're back in the labs."

"We'll be staying here then?" Sarah asked, aiming her question at the Doctor rather than the professor.

"Yes, I think so, seeing as we arrived so late" the Doctor nodded, "traffic, you know." he added giving the professor an exaggerated eye roll.

"Yes, well" the professor agreed, throwing a confused glance out of the window which afforded an unobscured view of the deserted road leading up to the equally empty duel carriageway just visible in the distance.

"Let me show you to a room" said the professor, leading the way to the stairs. "I'm afraid we've only the one free, I hope that's alright"

"I'm sure that'll be fine" answered the Doctor, glancing over his shoulder to playfully wink at Sarah who rolled her eyes at his suggestiveness.

"Would you like help with your…bags…?" the professor asked, trailing off as he realised neither of them were carrying anything.

"They're in the car, I'll fetch them later," was the Doctor's airy reply, and Sarah giggled at the professor's obvious bemusement, since they clearly hadn't parked a car anywhere near the house.

The professor gave his head a shake and fell into his role as centre manager as they reached the first floor.

"These are the boys' rooms" he said, sounding more confident now he was back on familiar ground, and gestured down the corridor which stretched away to the left side of them. "They sleep eight to a room, and the bathroom is at the end. Girls are upstairs in the old servants' quarters. The rooms are much smaller so they're accommodated in fours. We've space for just under a hundred pupils at a time."

He turned to the right and led them away from the boys' area down an identical corridor to the right of the stairs.

"These are the rooms for the centre staff and teachers visiting with their pupils." he said. Each room had a small wooden plaque with the name of a tree painted on it. At the very end was a room marked with 'Ash'. The professor reached for the handle and swung the door open to reveal a long narrow room. It had obviously once been a larger bedroom which had been partitioned into two and the width was such that all the furniture had been lined up on one side, leaving just enough room for one to pass by. A huge chest of drawers was nearest the door, then a desk with a single chair, and then a set of bunk beds next to a bay window with heavy curtains that stretched from floor to ceiling and shutters that when closed would separate the alcove from the rest of the room.

"Bunk beds?" Sarah raised her eyebrows at the Doctor, who was, naturally delighted with the arrangement.

"Bagsie I top bunk!" he called, jumping up in one bound and bouncing on the edge of the mattress.

The professor cast a dubious glance at Sarah and wisely decided to leave them to it.

"Breakfast is at seven thirty" he said, "lessons start at nine in the old stable block down the forest path."

"Thank you" answered Sarah, ignoring the Doctor who for reasons best known to himself, had rolled onto his front and was now hanging the top half of his body off the bed so he could inspect the underside of the mattress. The professor nodded and backed out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind him.

"So," said Sarah, turning back to the Doctor who turned his upside down head to grin at her. "What are we doing here then?"

"I've no idea" answered the Doctor happily. "But I'm looking forward to finding out!"

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

**Worth continuing? Your thoughts are always welcome. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all those who've reviewed or favourited so far! Please, if you like it enough to follow - leave a comment, it makes all the difference when I need some inspiration!**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 2**_

The Doctor flipped himself upright and jumped down from the bed.

"Time for a look around, wouldn't you say, Sarah?"

Sarah nodded her agreement and followed the Doctor back out onto the landing and down the stairs. A group of boys in their late teens trooped up past them chattering loudly and the Doctor attracted a few curious glances. Back in the entrance hall he gave each of the rooms Sarah had seen earlier a cursory glance before heading for a smaller door behind the stairs which she hadn't noticed. This led them through a tiny anteroom containing no furniture save for a clipboard hanging on the wall with a ballpoint pen attached to it dangling from a piece of string. A list of names and times identified it as a signing in and out sheet. Another door led them back into the cloakroom they had first come into. The Doctor strode straight through, chuckling at Sarah's exclamation of disgust at the smell before heading back out of the back door and onto the gravel path near where they had landed. He paused to examine the door, ascertaining that it was secured with simple yale lock that would pose no problems for the sonic screwdriver should they be locked out.

"Shall we have a look around the classrooms then?" he asked. "I'm guessing they'll be empty now. Ripe for some snooping." He rubbed his hands together in glee.

"Sounds a good idea, Doctor" Sarah answered, "but are you sure you can see the way?" she gestured toward the forest path which, sloping downhill on the eastern side of the house, was almost pitch black now that the sun had set.

"Of course!" the Doctor boomed, "naturally I can find the way!"

Sarah rolled her eyes and followed close behind him, relying as much on the sound of his feet crunching on the gravel as she was on the dark bulk of his shoulders in front of her. As they slipped between the trees it became almost impossible for her to see and she took hold of the end of the Doctor's scarf to avoid losing him, since the darkness had not slowed his pace at all.

The path curved round and they abruptly emerged onto a slightly wider path lit by a couple of lamps situated either side of an old fashioned archway topped with the traditional clock and dovecote, leading into what would have once been the stable yard. Passing under the arch and into the yard, which was large and oblong, the Doctor and Sarah were surrounded on the other three sides by loose boxes which had been converted into classrooms. To the left between two of the classroom doors was another, smaller archway which presumably led down into the woods and would have originally been used as an exit by riders wanting to hack in the forest.

The Doctor moved over to peer through one of the windows and Sarah through the one next to it. The classroom looked fairly standard for a secondary school biology lab; heavy wooden tables laid in rows, punctuated with gas taps and sinks, tall backless stools for the pupils to sit on, and a desk and blackboard at the far end of the room. The walls were covered with posters depicting the local plants and wildlife, and at the rear of the classroom were shelves which held specimen jars and stuffed animals in glass cases.

"It all looks above board, Doctor" said Sarah Jane, moving to look into the next classroom which was almost identically laid out. "Why do you suppose the TARDIS wanted us to come here?"

"I'm sure the answer will reveal itself Sarah," the Doctor replied thoughtfully.

"What now?" she asked.

"I think some rest is in order" the Doctor answered, gallantly holding out an elbow for her to take. "It's been some days since I slept; I think I might take advantage of that bed before anything untoward happens." The grin on his face was in direct contrast to the foreboding of his words and Sarah chuckled at his obvious enthusiasm for trouble as she took his arm.

After a brief pit stop in the TARDIS to pack a few overnight things and some spare clothes for Sarah, the two of them headed back through the still unlocked cloakroom and back up to their bedroom. Sarah glanced at a clock hanging on the wall outside the dining room as they passed.

"Only quarter to nine;" she said "and not a pupil in sight. Do you suppose it's lights out already? Seems rather early for teenagers of that age."

The Doctor shrugged, throwing open their bedroom door and gesturing for her to go in ahead of him. Sarah went over to lean on the windowsill and took in what she could see of the driveway which was lit by a line of several old fashioned streetlamps. The sheep in the field by the side of the building were just visible, their white coats standing out against the darkness of the field. She turned back to see the Doctor had collapsed onto the bottom bunk, his ankles crossed and hands behind his head. She put her hands on her hips and stood over him, giving him a nudge on the leg with her toe.

"I thought you wanted the top bunk?" she asked pointedly.

"Just warming it up for you, Sarah," he grinned, fixing her with an affectionate look.

Sarah shook her head. "I'm going to go and get ready for bed, I think" she said, gathering her wash bag and pyjamas. I expect that bed available when I come back."

She left the room, ignoring his faint reply of "It _is_ available, I just happen to be in it...", cutting him off by shutting the door firmly behind her.

As their room was at the end of the landing, the bathroom was right next to it. Sarah stepped inside into another oddly shaped room; spanning across the end of the house, it was only a three or four paces from where she was standing to the opposite wall, but the length of their bedroom on either side of her. To the left were two rows of toilet cubicles facing each other. To the right were several larger cubicles housing showers, and directly in front of her were half a dozen sinks with mirrors above. She caught sight of her reflection and made a mental note to get her hair cut next time she had the chance; it had got awfully long.

After a quick shower, she dressed in her pyjamas and combed out her hair before brushing her teeth. In the twenty minutes or so she was in there not another soul came in. It was rather odd, she reflected. For a hundred or so pupils, there must be at least ten or so teachers, she reckoned, not counting other staff members; and judging by the number of bedrooms and the relative remoteness of the surrounding area, they must all stay on the premises. Where were they all?

She ducked back quickly into their bedroom and was greeted with the Doctor lying on his side, still in the bottom bunk. His eyes were closed and she watched him for a moment, trying to decide if he was indeed asleep. Without opening his eyes, he lifted the blankets in silent invitation, his lips twitching mischievously. Sarah gave her head a rueful shake and ignored him, climbing into the top bunk.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS S

Sarah woke with start, her heart pounding. For a moment she lay completely still, staring into the inky blackness, trying to ascertain what had woken her. As she tuned into her surroundings, her eyes started to adjust to the darkness and she heard a deep rumbling snore coming from below her. Could it have been that? Surely not, she considered; she'd heard the Doctor snore before and it wouldn't have woken her so suddenly. Then without warning she heard it; an eerie high pitched howl coming from somewhere outside. She shot up in bed, her heart thundering.

"Doctor?"

Another snore was her only reply.

"Doctor!" she exclaimed more sharply.

He woke with a grunt.

"Sarah? Is everything alright?" he asked, instantly fully awake.

"Listen!" she hissed.

The two of them sat in pregnant silence for a moment before another howl rent the night air outside.

"What the devil?" the Doctor exclaimed. Sarah heard his bed creak as he leapt up to look out of the window. He pushed aside the heavy curtains, letting the light of a crescent moon flood into the bedroom. She leant over from her vantage point on the top bunk to look over his shoulder. The lights on the drive had been extinguished at some point, and in spite of the bright moonlight it was impossible to see more than a few hundred feet; everything looked still and calm. Sarah slithered down off the bed to stand at the Doctor's elbow.

"Why does everything always look so much more threatening in the moonlight?" she murmured to herself, surveying the dark hulking shapes of trees and bushes that loomed on the lawns in front of the house.

"Power of suggestion, Sarah", the Doctor answered quietly, "the human imagination is quite extraordinary".

Another howl echoed through the night, causing them both to jump out of their reverie. Gooseflesh exploded over Sarah's skin and she involuntarily clutched at the Doctor's shirtsleeve. He covered her hand, giving it a pat.

Sarah shuddered. "I hate wolves" she murmured "ever since Aunt Lavinia read me Grimm's fairy tales. There shouldn't be any in Wales, should there?"

The Doctor shook his head; "Not for four or five hundred years, at this point in history. Come on, back to bed" he said, "there's little we can do until morning anyway; I'd like to have a chat with a few people first before I go after whatever that is."

He gave her a nudge towards the bottom bunk and this time she acquiesced, sliding in first and not protesting when he lifted the blankets and lay down next to her, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulder.

In spite of her fears Sarah felt safe; under the canopy of the upper bunk and sandwiched as she was between the wall and the comforting bulk of the Doctor, she soon fell asleep again. The Doctor waited until her breaths were deep and even and then continued to lie awake listening to the howls increasingly fade into the distance, giving it precisely half an hour after the last one before allowing himself to succumb to slumber again.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

**Watch this space…**


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope people are continuing to enjoy this, do let me know.**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 3**_

The following morning Sarah woke up comfortably weighed down by the Doctor's arm draped across her waist, his breath gusting across the back of her neck. She eased herself up off the bed and carefully removed his arm, before climbing over him to go and use the toilet. On her return he was awake and adjusting his cravat in a small mirror above the desk.

"Breakfast?" he asked.

"Mmm." She nodded "Just give me two minutes."

She ducked into the alcove of the bay window, pulling the shutter across to create a tiny space she could change in where she quickly pulled on her jeans and jumper. When she emerged the Doctor was waiting for her by the door. He gave her a happy smile before leading the way down to the entrance hall.

Downstairs they entered the dining room to more interested looks from the pupils. The tables were all full but as they passed through they saw an open set of double doors on the right between two of the tables leading into another, smaller dining room which appeared to be populated by the teachers and centre staff.

The Doctor sat down next to a man who looked to be in his early fifties, his thick dark hair peppered with grey.

"Ah," he said, looking them over. "I heard the inspectors arrived last night." He held out a hand for the Doctor to shake. "Phillip Harvey, here with St Martin's Grammar school."

"Excellent," said the Doctor, shaking the man's hand. "Doctor Smith, and my associate, Sarah Jane Smith." He gestured towards Sarah and Phillip stood up to lean across the Doctor to shake her hand too. He sat back down and they took the empty seats next to him. Sarah helped herself to cornflakes and Phillip nudged an empty mug and a teapot towards her which she gratefully accepted.

"So," he asked, "what are your plans for the day?"

"That depends," the Doctor, taking a bite of toast, "Do you happen to know the agenda for the day?"

"Well" answered Phillip, "the other classes are heading off to the beaches in the area; they rotate the locations so we don't all end up at the same place you see. My class are going to walk along the river and take samples. You're welcome to join us - it's about five miles in total, should take most of the morning."

"Sounds like a good way to see the local area." Sarah said, raising her eyebrows at the Doctor. He nodded enthusiastically.

"That's settled then," Phillip replied. "We'll be leaving at about nine thirty from the classroom. Excuse me." He stood and left them to finish up. The tables around them were rapidly clearing as the teachers and pupils headed out.

"Come on" said the Doctor, striding out of the dining room and aiming for the front door. He walked slowly out onto the drive, taking a good look at the place in the daylight. The Manor itself was Georgian, white walled with tall narrow windows. To the north was a high wall that presumably contained the kitchen gardens. They followed the path they had taken the night before round the south side of the building when the Doctor paused.

"What is it?" asked Sarah curiously as he stepped off the path to examine one of the fence posts surrounding the field where the sheep had been the night before. There was no sign of them now, but a farmer was coming towards them, making a circuit of the field with a half-cockedshotgun under his arm and a collie at his heels.

The Doctor nudged Sarah's arm and discreetly pointed at the fencepost which had a smear of blood on it.

"Hello there!" he called to the farmer who raised a hand in greeting, although he did not look happy.

"Morning," he said, giving them a curt nod.

"What happened to your sheep?" the Doctor questioned, nodding at the empty field.

"Safe in the home field this morning; brought them in first thing. Lost another one last night." The farmer shook his head, his expression angry.

"Another one?" asked Sarah, "how many have there been?"

"Seven, in the last month. Seven! Locals in the village keep going on about a damn dog on the loose." The farmer started to walk away to continue his round. "Mark my words," he called over his shoulder, giving his gun arm a shake "if I see it, it's dead."

The Doctor surreptitiously pulled out the sonic screwdriver and scanned the fence post. He examined the reading. "Just sheep's blood, nothing unexpected there. Shall we?" he added tilting his head towards the rear of the building.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The class were filing out of the classroom as they arrived. Phillip waved them over with a friendly smile.

"Glad you could make it" he said. "This is my lot," he added, sweeping an arm at the twenty or so boys and girls, all aged around 17 or so, who were gathered in the yard. They were dressed in an assortment of orange and yellow waterproof trousers and wellington boots, although most of them were jacketless, dressed in jumpers and sweatshirts in concession to the warm spring day.

Another man stepped out the classroom and set down an armful of yardsticks in order to turn and lock the door. He turned to face them and Phillip waved him over.

"This is Andrew," he said, "our group leader for the week."

Andrew stacked the yardsticks back under his arm and leaned forward to shake the Doctor and Sarah's hands.

"Nice to meet you," he said, giving them smile which to Sarah's eyes seemed just the slightest bit uncomfortable. He glanced back at Phillip and excused himself to go and head off the pupils who were starting to become restless, and led them off through the smaller archway Sarah had noticed the night before. Phillip gave them a nod and went to join his pupils. The Doctor and Sarah brought up the rear and followed the group down a paved path which quickly ended, leaving them on a muddy track leading down to the river.

At the riverbank Andrew stopped and turned to face the group, calling out instructions. The pupils split off into smaller groups and started working in the river; some taking samples in screw top jars, others measuring the depth with the yardsticks, some taking notes on the surrounding area. After a quarter of an hour they moved on, walking for another half mile or so before stopping and repeating the process. It was a pleasant route through an attractive area and Sarah and the Doctor both started to relax and enjoy the surroundings. On the fourth such stop, Sarah was taking in the view through the trees when she heard a shout behind her. She turned to see one of the lads standing on one leg in the river, his friend standing on the bank waving one of his wellingtons while several other pupils roared with laughter.

"Enough of that!" called Phillip good naturedly, catching Sarah's eye and smiling with the amused air of one who has seen it all before.

The boy standing on the bank threw the boot to his friend who caught it deftly and pulled it back on. He planted both feet in the river and then sprang at his friend, shoving him to the ground and receiving a barrage of colourful language in response. He looked into the trees and shouted, "Come and get him wolfie, I've got him!"

He gave his friend a final smack on the shoulder and then stood, offering him a hand up.

The Doctor who had been examining one of the nearby bushes looked up, and sent Sarah a meaningful look.

"Wolfie?" he inquired of the boy who was brushing himself off and picking up his equipment.

"Yeah, haven't you heard of it? It's been on the loose for weeks now, stealing sheep. It got that lad from London too, didn't it?"

"What lad?" queried the Doctor.

"A boy went missing last month," one of the girls nearby piped up. "He was staying here and just…vanished one night."

"Arroooooooo!" the first boy yelled, and he and his friend started attempting to shove each other into the river, laughing and howling at each other.

The Doctor turned away from their high jinks, looking at Sarah, and inclined his head back in the direction of the house. "I think," he murmured quietly, "we need to go and have a word with Professor Carter."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Professor Carter sighed and leaned back in his chair. His office was behind the television room, directly above the basement common room. The Doctor had collared him on his way out to make some errands and he hadn't been happy; upon hearing their reason for speaking to him he had been unhappier still.

"It happened late last month," he began. "The boy was here with his school, and one morning he just didn't come down to breakfast. No one's any idea where he's got to."

"Isn't anyone looking for him?" asked Sarah incredulously.

"Of course," said the professor in a scandalised tone. "For two days we had the police all over the place. Unfortunately he has a history of running away; he lives with an uncle and has regularly absconded from there. I get the impression the police are just waiting for him to arrive back in London."

"That's terrible!" exclaimed Sarah. "How could he have got out? The doors are locked at night, aren't they?"

"Of course," he replied. "Every night at eight o'clock. They aren't unlocked again until the pupils leave after breakfast."

"Eight O'clock?" the Doctor asked sharply. "Miss Smith and I went for a stroll last night and were able to let ourselves back in through your cloakroom at quarter to nine."

The Professor looked uncomfortable.

"Well," he answered, "occasionally some of the staff might leave a door open if they want to go down to the pub in the village. But I always check before I go to bed."

"And what time is that, exactly?" asked the Doctor with narrowed eyes.

"Around eleven thirty, twelve o clock perhaps," Professor Carter hedged.

"Is that door manned at all after hours?" inquired Sarah.

"Well, no. No, it isn't" sighed the professor with a resigned air, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

"So you're saying that he could have just let himself out at any time that evening?" Sarah pressed. "And now no one's even looking for him?"

"That's not what I'm saying…" began the professor

"What you're _saying_, Professor," the Doctor snapped, "is that you are responsible for almost a hundred _children_, staying in a remote area they are unfamiliar with, and you have effectively been allowing them to come and go as they please so long as they are prepared to be a little bit devious about it! And I think you and I both know plenty of teenagers would be happy to pull the wool over their teachers' eyes for a bit of a lark. And to top it all offwe've been informed there's a dangerous dog on the loose!"

The professor shook his head.

"The police don't seem to think there's much to investigate…" he started to say before the Doctor cut him off again

"The boy has been missing for three weeks. Three weeks! Don't you think if he was headed for London he'd have turned up there by now?"

"Shouldn't have taken more than a few hours if he hitchhiked" Sarah reflected.

"I think," said the Doctor firmly, "We might have more to look into here than the quality of your teaching facilities."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

**Thank you for sticking with the story this far, another chapter will up soon!**

**By the way – the wellie incident actually happened, it was rather funny, and ended in much the same way it did here!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Again, thanks to those who've made it this far and special thanks to those who've reviewed.**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 4**_

The Doctor and Sarah headed away from the Field Centre, leaving a very sheepish looking Professor Carter in his office. He had pointed them in the direction of the village and the Doctor had decided that it was as good a place to start as any.

The drive ended with a five bar gate that opened out into a country road; they walked single file along the hedge for a few hundred yards before reaching the beginnings of the village. It was a tiny place, consisting of little more than the pub and a shop, which in the style of country villages also doubled up as a post office, a cobblers and a newsagent and sold everything from teabags to saddle soap. The pub sat opposite, and the narrow street between them opened up just beyond to curve round a green with a war memorial sitting in the centre. Cottages flanked the green and beyond that there was a church.

The pub was open for lunchtime trade; the sign above swinging gently in the breeze depicted a painting of a red Welsh style dragon breathing fire down into the lettering. The Doctor pushed open the door and they were greeted by the smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke. The pub was decorated in the same way as pretty much every other pub Sarah had ever been in; thick flocked wall paper, a patterned carpet and heavy wooden furniture with worn velvet cushions, all surrounding a bar which boasted several different ales on tap. The barstools were occupied by several of the locals nursing their lunchtime pints while the booths round the wall were unsurprisingly empty given the time of day.

The landlord looked up with interest at the newcomers and wiped his hands on a bar towel.

"Good morning" the Doctor said, nodding at the locals before pulling out a barstool for Sarah to hop up onto.

"Morning" the landlord replied "what can I get you?"

"Ginger beer for me; Sarah?"

"Half a bitter for me, please," Sarah told the landlord, pointedly ignoring his slight look of disapproval.

"You'll be the school inspectors then?" the landlord enquired, handing the Doctor his ginger beer and pulling out a half pint glass to place under the tap.

"News certainly travels quickly around here" Sarah observed, taking her drink as the landlord placed it on the bar.

"Had a couple of the teachers in here last night. Not much else happens round here." The man chuckled.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that" the Doctor answered, raising his eyebrows. "What about this dog we've heard about? The farmer up the road says he's lost several sheep."

The landlord shrugged. "A stray I suppose; probably some townsfolk here on holiday let it out and couldn't find it again. They'll be long gone, leaving us to deal with the fallout."

"It's no dog, if you ask me," One of the locals suddenly spat. "You've heard it howling at night. There's something odd about it., if you ask me."

The landlord shook his head.

"Don't be daft, Bryn." He admonished. "You're a country man. You know even the tamest dog will turn wild if he's in need of a good meal."

"Still," Bryn grumbled, "sounds like no dog I've ever heard. It'll have done for that London boy, you mark my words."

"So you know about the missing boy then?" Sarah asked, raising her eyebrows at the man; "what have you heard?"

Bryn avoided her eyes, turning away and returning to his pint.

The landlord shrugged again.

"Only what the police have said. He went missing from the manor last month; they think he's a runaway by the sounds of it."

"Did you ever see him in here?" asked the Doctor.

"No," the landlord said firmly. "I know everyone round here and we never serve the pupils from the manor, you never know if they're old enough. In any case the teachers are in here often enough, they'd never get away with it. Not for want of trying in some cases." He added with a sardonic smile.

"Well, thank you for your time," the Doctor said, standing up and placing his now empty bottle back on the bar. Sarah drained her drink and stood to follow him out of the door. As it closed behind them the landlord picked up the empties and watched them disappear past the window.

"Pretty girl, that one." He observed.

Bryn harrumphed. "Let's hope they don't meddle with what they don't understand."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS S

The Doctor headed back across the road to the shop, peering through the window. On one of the panes was a now slightly ragged looking poster depicting the missing boy. He was dark haired and fairly good looking albeit with a rather sullen expression, and judging from the pose and the sliver of uniform visible at the bottom of the picture it was a school photo. The writing at the top announced his name as Stephen Grey, and underneath the poster was the phone number for the local police station. Someone, presumably one of the local children, had crudely drawn a creature that resembled a dog with comically large teeth biting into the side of Stephen's ear.

The two of them continued back the way they had come back up to the Centre, the Doctor, having ascertained that no-one was around, striding across the drive and bearing off to the right where the sheep had reappeared in their field. He glanced around again and quickly sprang over the fence. Sarah hopped up onto on the fence and sat on the top bar, hooking her feet under the bar below to keep her balance. The Doctor was busy scanning the grass with his sonic screwdriver, using wide sweeping motions akin to someone searching with a metal detector.

"There must be _something,_" he muttered to himself while Sarah watched with interest.

The sonic suddenly beeped and the Doctor pulled it up to examine it closely.

"Now that _is _interesting."

"What?" asked Sarah, "what have you found? Werewolf blood?" she teased.

"Don't be silly, Sarah" the Doctor scolded, coming back to bound over the fence again "Werewolves have an entirely different genetic makeup."

"I beg your pardon?" Sarah exclaimed, jumping down and jogging after him.

"Werewolves," the Doctor explained patiently, "are inherently human; their DNA simply distorts at the given time. This, though, this is something new."

"DNA?" questioned Sarah, attempting to ignore the rather gobsmacking fact that a childhood nightmare had just been confirmed as real.

"Yes, DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid. The genetic coding for all living things. Didn't you pay attention at school?"

Sarah shrugged. "I was more interested in English."

"Typical narcissistic humans, wasting time studying a language they've grown up speaking," the Doctor muttered under his breath.

Sarah poked her tongue out at him and he chuckled, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go and have a look round the house while everyone's out."

The headed round the rear of the house, entering through the cloakroom door again. It was largely empty of waterproofs now and instead the benches were littered with jumpers and indoor shoes. On their way through the anteroom the Doctor inspected the signing in and out sheet which appeared to have been correctly used. Certainly there were at least four pages of signatures that had been completed that morning, marking the individuals as 'out'. The Doctor quickly flicked through but confirmed that the wad of paper on there only covered that week's residents.

"Perhaps the old sheets get archived?" Sarah suggested.

"Perhaps," the Doctor agreed. "Another question for our friend the professor to answer."

Upstairs, they set to exploring the bedrooms. Most of the teacher's rooms were like their own, but the boy's rooms had been left at their original sizes. Each room held a set of bunk beds in each corner, sleeping eight in total. The furniture was sparse, the odd chest of drawers or wardrobe left behind as a relic of when the house was once a family home. It appeared that whoever had converted the place into a field centre had assumed, correctly, that the pupils would happily live out of suitcases for their allotted week. Judging by the mess in the bedrooms it was safe to say that most of them were actually living off the floor.

Upstairs, the girl's floor felt much smaller, the ceilings lower and the corridor narrower. The rooms were small and square, each having only one dormer window with a set of bunk beds either side rather than the two bay windows that were present in most of the boys' rooms.

Sarah peered round a door at the end of the hallway into a bathroom similar to the one downstairs. She was suddenly surprised by a girl with long red hair emerging from one of the stalls.

"Oh! Hello." said Sarah. "I didn't know anyone was still here."

The girl nodded as she washed her hands.

"Everyone else is out," she confirmed, "But I had a fall on the rocks at the beach yesterday," she gestured down at her ankle and Sarah could through her sock that it was swollen. "I'm to stay here for the morning and then go and join them in the labs when they get back at around two."

"What a shame," Sarah sympathised.

"Not really," smiled the girl. "I'm not really the outdoors type; I've had a lovely morning reading my book!"

Sarah laughed along with her.

"Listen," she said, "Do you know anything about that dog that's supposed to be on the loose?"

The girl shook her head. "Not really. Some of the lads said they heard it howling the other night but they're always mucking around. I thought they were joking." She turned to the mirror and started finger combing through her hair.

"You've not heard anything yourself?"

"No, to tell you truth we've all been so tired after the field work we've been sleeping like logs. Everyone in my room's been in bed by about nine."

"And what about the missing boy, Stephen Grey?" Sarah asked. Again the girl shook her head.

"All I know is that he sneaked out one night and didn't come back. They think he probably ran away."

"Alright. Thanks anyway. I hope your ankle isn't too bad." Sarah left the bathroom, leaving the girl to finish up, and went to find the Doctor who was peering over the banisters.

"Look here," he said, gesturing down the stairwell. "The teachers' rooms are on the next floor down, as you know, and one of the cleaners has just told me the staff use the television room as a common room after study hours."

"So?" Sarah inquired.

The Doctor jogged down the stairs two at a time and Sarah followed until he finally came to a stop on the ground floor. He gestured at the television room and turned to face her, walking backwards towards the anteroom door.

"So," he continued, "any pupil wishing to sneak out would have to get past not only the teachers' bedrooms but right past their common room as well. It doesn't seem to be that easy for them to just leave unnoticed after all."

"And…" Sarah pondered, "If the landlord of the Red Dragon says he never serves the pupils, sneaking out seems a bit pointless really, doesn't it? There's nothing else to do in the area."

"That we know of," said the Doctor thoughtfully.

"So what now?" asked Sarah.

"First things first;" decided the Doctor, "we need to go back to the TARDIS and analyse this reading on the sonic screwdriver. He stretched and rolled his shoulders. "And then tonight I could really do with some sleep."

"Again?" asked Sarah curiously.

"Yes, again," the Doctor answered. His brow furrowed as he realised what she was implying. "Yes, that _is _rather unusual, isn't it?"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSS

**Thoughts, reviews, criticism, ideas… all welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed and/or is following this. A special mention to the guest reviewers since I can't thank you personally. And thanks to Spydurwebb for reminding me about chromatographs!**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 5**_

The Doctor shrugged off his unusual tiredness and led the way back to the TARDIS. Once inside, he set about carefully analysing the sample he'd taken from the grass outside.

"What is that?" Sarah asked, gesturing towards the small capsule in the console that he'd placed the sonic screwdriver into.

"It's a digital chromatograph. You humans are working on something like this in your time, but this is a rather more advanced version. This will help determine what substance the sonic picked up outside."

A green light flashed back and forth across the capsule several times and an image appeared on the display screen just above the capsule.

"It's saliva, certainly _appears_ lupine…" he murmured to himself

"_Could_ it just be a dog?" queried Sarah

The Doctor shook his head and sucked thoughtfully on his lower lip.

"I don't think so. See here?" he gestured at the display screen which showed two strands of molecules twisted together, and brought up a second picture alongside the first.

"This, on the left, is what ordinary DNA looks like – a double helix of amino acids bonded together like a ladder. Every living thing has a different sequence which dictates how the body grows, what its characteristics are and so on, but they all essentially _look_ the same; only the order is different."

Sarah nodded; she remembered a little of this from her school science lessons.

"This, on the right, however, is what the DNA in the sample looks like," the Doctor continued, gesturing at the other image.

Sarah squinted, "I can't see any difference," she began; "It looks the same to me."

"Look a little more closely," the Doctor encouraged her, pulling her to stand in front of him, nearer the screen. "See how some of the bonds are starting to break?"

Sarah peered more carefully at the screen and suddenly she saw it; tiny cracks in the chemical links between the acids, as though the DNA was starting to fall apart at the seams.

"What does it mean?" she asked curiously.

"It's been meddled with," the Doctor mulled. "I'm not sure how, or why, but this DNA has been pulled apart and reordered. And that has damaged the integrity of it to such an extent it's starting to break down."

"Break down?" Sarah prodded him.

He nodded, deep in thought.

"Essentially, the creature is dying."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Later that afternoon Sarah was knee deep in files; she was in the records office in the basement, next to the recreation room; the latter a large, low ceilinged space containing two snooker tables, a dart board, several tables set up for board games such as chess and draughts, and a corner full of beanbags for those who just wanted to sit and chat.

Meanwhile the Doctor had cadged a lift to the local library with the assistant cook who had been heading into the nearest town to collect some supplies; they had been gone for a couple of hours now.

The records room was secreted under the basement stairs; small and windowless, it contained half a dozen filing cabinets holding records of residents at the centre dating back around ten years. The records were actually rather well kept, Sarah observed. There was a cardboard wallet file for every week the centre was open, the date inked on the left hand corner so it was easy to pick the correct week out without too much effort. In each file was the paperwork from the schools visiting that week. Each school had provided a list of their pupils and teachers, along with details of their home addresses and whom to call in an emergency. These were kept paper-clipped to the signing in and out sheets for the week, and the timetable each class had followed. The pupils stayed from Wednesday to Wednesday and the centre was open for most of the school year; Professor Carter had informed her that it was used for conferences during the holidays.

It hadn't taken her long to locate the file for Stephen Grey's week since it was with the most recent ones. Sarah scanned through the paperwork, confirming that he had dutifully signed himself in and out every day until the Sunday when he had failed to arrive for breakfast. He had spent the best part of Saturday on one of the rockier beaches and then finished the day in the classroom.

Footsteps clattered down the stairs over her head and she turned to see the Doctor bounding through the recreation room, waving a newspaper in his hand.

"What is it?" she called, taking in his look of consternation.

"Look here," he began, throwing down the slightly yellowing newspaper in front of her. It was a local paper, and the date showed it to be just over five years old. The Doctor opened the paper and pointed to a small side column on page four which was topped with a photo of a young woman, her fair hair tied in plaits.

"Girl Disappears from Beddhafn Manor" Sarah read, her eyes growing wide. She continued to read the first paragraph;

"Susan Underwood, 17, was last seen on the evening of Saturday 4th May, 1974 at Beddhafn Field Studies Centre. She was missed at breakfast on Sunday morning and is thought to have run away overnight."

Sarah turned to the Doctor.

"She disappeared from her bed too, that can't be a coincidence!"

"And she isn't the only one!" the Doctor continued, reaching into his coat and pulling out a small handwritten list from his inside pocket. "The library keeps copies of the local newspaper going back years."

Sarah looked down at the list.

Susan Underwood, May 1974

Michael Jenkins, June 1969

Victoria Jamieson, October 1965

Edward Sawkins, April 1960

"Are those all of them?" she asked quietly.

The Doctor shook his head, "the newspapers only went back to January 1960. But I wouldn't be surprised if there were more cases before then."

"And the circumstances are always the same?"

The Doctor nodded. "Always. The pupil is seen going to bed reasonably early, and fails to appear in the morning. And in every case the police have assumed the child in question has absconded of their own volition."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sarah sat on the lower bunk, her back against the wall, feet hanging off the edge of the bed. She had located the files for the weeks Susan Underwood and Michael Jenkins had been at the centre and they were spread across her lap along with the Stephen Grey one. She hadn't been able to find the other two, the records only going back to 1968. The Doctor was leaning against the desk, playing with his yoyo.

"There are no similarities that I can see," Sarah said, "all three of these were from different schools, different areas of the country;" she sighed in frustration.

The Doctor pocketed his yoyo and started to pace the length of the room, deep in thought.

"How on Earth can people still be assuming that these are runaways?" Sarah asked angrily. "I can just about understand them thinking it of one child who's been missing for a couple of weeks, but all of these, after all this time?"

The Doctor stopped his pacing and flopped down next to her.

"People believe whatever's easiest, Sarah." He said with a sigh. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "I promise you, we'll get to the bottom of this."

He suddenly yawned widely and playfully leant his head against hers.

"How about some sleep?" he rumbled into her neck.

Sarah glanced at him, somewhat concerned about this sudden urge for sleep that he had never exhibited before, but she had to concede that she was tired too. The Doctor gathered the files and dropped them onto the floor by the bed, and she didn't object when he lay down, pulling her down next to him and guiding her head to rest comfortably under his chin. Sarah placed a hand on his chest, yawned once and fell fast asleep.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Several hours later Sarah Jane woke with a start; daylight was streaming in through the window and she was pinned against the Doctor's side. For a moment she was glad she hadn't been woken by the eerie howling of the first night, but then her ears tuned in to a commotion on the landing outside. The Doctor eyes flicked open and he sat up, pulling her with him, and met her eyes wordlessly. Leaving her on the bed, he crossed to the door and threw it open to discover several teachers having a heated conversation just outside their bedroom.

"What's going on?" he asked sharply.

One of the female teachers turned to face him.

"It's happened again," she said, her face ashen. "Another pupil has disappeared."

**Oh, the suspense! Always glad to hear your comments!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks again to those following this and those who've reviewed. You make it all worthwhile. **

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 6**_

Sarah stood behind the Doctor waiting for instructions. Most of the teachers and all of the centre staff had been drafted in to form search parties, along with the students who were over eighteen. They were joining forces with some of the local police who were spreading themselves among the groups. A couple of teachers were to stay behind with the remaining underage pupils; lessons were suspended for the day. The pupils who were joining the search looked dertermined but shaken and several of them were noticeably upset.

Professor Carter was coordinating the search. He stood halfway up the staircase in the entrance hall and called for quiet over the loud chattering.

"For those of you who don't know her, Julie Green is 5 feet five inches tall and slim. She has long red hair which should make her easy to spot. She missed her field trip and was here alone yesterday owing to an injury, but was seen at dinner and went to bed at nine. She's probably got several hours' head start so we need to get moving."

Sarah started and tugged at the Doctor's elbow.

"I think that's the girl I spoke with yesterday!" she hissed at him.

The Doctor nodded in acknowledgement and then moved forward to join the first party. As they passed the professor the Doctor shot him pointed look and he had the grace to look away, shamefaced. They stepped down onto the drive and their party, which included a slim girl with short dark hair and redrimmed eyes, set off following a Police Sergeant who set a brisk pace off to the south.

As they walked along a muddy path next to the sheep field, Sarah leaned in to whisper to the Doctor again.

"Her ankle was sprained, Doctor, I saw it – it was swollen and painful, she could barely stand on it. She can't have run away!"

"Whatever the professor chooses to believe, I think you and I both know this is no runaway," the Doctor answered.

He turned to the pupil walking next to them.

"Do you know Julie?" he asked.

The girl nodded, her eyes tearful. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again and swallowed down a sob.

"What's your name?" Sarah probed gently, moving to walk next to the girl and placing a hand on her arm.

"Sandra," hiccupped the girl, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

"Julie's a friend of yours?"

Sandra nodded again, biting her lip and meeting Sarah's eyes.

"Do _you _think she ran away?" Sarah questioned, raising her eyebrows.

The girl shook her head forcefully. "No, definitely not. She was _fine._ She always does well in school and she has loads of friends. _Loads_." She emphasised. Sarah guessed that she had already been through this several times that morning.

"No trouble at home?" asked the Doctor.

"No," her mum and dad are really nice. The police asked me all this too." She complained, pulling away and leaving them to follow her.

The Doctor sent a Sarah a look and she met his eyes in acknowledgement. It certainly didn't sound like Julie had been a flight risk.

The ground sloped away towards open ground that made up more of the farmer's fields. Sarah could see the police over to their right moving along in a long line, side by side, covering the ground slowly, their eyes down searching for any clue. Sarah shivered; it was a chilling image and she knew that it was partly because they were looking for evidence of foul play.

Their party came to a halt and the policeman leading them started to point out areas to cover.

"You two," he said, beckoning the Doctor and Sarah towards him. "You go over to the southeast, see that small copse just beyond the edge of this field?" At their nods he continued, "Take that area. If you find anything, don't touch it, but call one of the constables to help you. Clear?"

At their nods he continued along the group, assigning areas and giving out instructions. Sarah followed the Doctor as he started off across the large windswept field which was occupied by around twenty cows.

As they reached the treeline and pushed their way into the copse, they slowed their pace, keeping their eyes trained on the ground to avoid stepping on anything significant.

Sarah paused, "Doctor?"

"Hmm, yes?"

"Do we really think she's out here?"

"I don't know, Sarah," he answered, his voice grave. "But I think we have a duty to at least look, don't we?"

"Of course," Sarah agreed.

They covered the copse carefully, moving amongst the trees, first following a natural path that lead through the middle, then doubling back on themselves through the thicker areas. Nothing indicated that anyone had been there. Even the ground was free of footprints that might have been left by ramblers.

Sarah was scanning the trees around her, looking to see if any clothing had caught on the branches when she heard the Doctor call out to her. She made her way towards him, moving as quickly as she dared, aware that she was in the midst of a potential crime scene.

"Look here," the Doctor said as she reached him. Sarah glanced down and recoiled from the sight. A sheep, several hours dead, flies buzzing round its half eaten carcass, lay at his feet.

"That's… disgusting," she choked, the smell suddenly hitting her.

"It's certainly interesting," the Doctor murmured.

"Interesting? Really?" Sarah sounded doubtful.

"Interesting, because this sheep has been killed by a predator, and recently, but hardly eaten. Which means the creature was either interrupted, or the breakdown of its DNA has accelerated."

"So?" Sarah prompted him as he trailed off, deep in thought.

"So…if the latter is true, it's probably nearby."

The Doctor looked around, scanning the area, his eyes taking in everything around them. He set off with purpose through the trees and Sarah hurried to keep up. The ground started to slope away again and became wet and slippery under her feet, and without warning she reached the top of a sharp incline. The ground dropped away to a stream about twenty feet below; the ground was mossy and the trees were thin and wiry. The Doctor was already halfway down, heading for a thicket of bushes.

Sarah slithered down the steep bank and followed the Doctor into the thicket, ducking under a bramble and pushing aside some long grass. And there it was. She inhaled sharply at the sight. The wolf lay before them, on its side, its flank rising and falling in quick pants as it struggled for breath. The Doctor rested on one knee and lifted the corner of the animals lip, running his sonic screwdriver over its gums. He checked the reading and nodded to himself.

"It's a match for the saliva sample I took from the grass." he confirmed. "This is certainly our sheep thief."

Sarah, afraid as she was of live wolves, could not help but feel sorry for this one in its dying moments. She gently stroked its neck, trying to provide it with some comfort.

"Poor thing," she said, "It can't help what it is; is it in pain, do you think?"

The Doctor looked sadly down at the creature. "I don't think so; I think its slipping away."

As he spoke, the creature took a deep shuddering breath and finally lay still. The Doctor stood for a moment, contemplating the wolf and then shed his coat, wrapping it around the huge carcass and flinging it bodily over his shoulder.

"I want to take him back to the TARDIS." He said, "We'll put him in the freezer for now so I can examine him later. There's something odd about this animal."

"Maybe we should wait until dark, Doctor ?" Sarah suggested. "If anyone sees you they'll think it's Julie you're carrying."

"I'd rather not wait. If I'm right about the DNA breakdown the carcass may literally meltaway if we leave it here. Let's follow this stream," said the Doctor, with a jerk of his head. "I'm guessing it joins the river we walked along yesterday. Chances are we can stay under cover until we get to the TARDIS."

They made their way slowly along the banks of the stream; as the Doctor had predicted, it gradually widened, until eventually it met the river flowing downhill away from the manor. They were much nearer the manor now and the search party covering this area had long since crossed the river and continued downhill. The Doctor started to climb the hill with long strides and Sarah scuttled to keep up, digging her heels into the mossy ground. The Doctor's footsteps became quieter and she realised they had reached the pine trees which surrounded the blue box.

Once inside, the Doctor carefully laid the wolf's carcass on one of the sickbay beds. He stepped over to the wall and pressed a button and with a hiss a tray slid out, revealing a refrigerated compartment. Scooping his arms under the wolf, he lifted it and placed it on the tray, removing his coat before pressing another button to slide the tray back into the wall. As the compartment closed, Sarah heard a distinctive sucking noise and a whumph as it sealed itself. He shrugged back into his coat, ignoring Sarah's look of distaste and squared his shoulders.

"Now," said he Doctor. "Time for another chat with the professor, wouldn't you say?"

They exited the TARDIS and aimed for the gravel path. Night was starting to fall and Sarah yawned, exhausted from the long day. As they reached the path, they were greeted by a one of the search parties traipsing back up the house.

"Any sign?" asked the Doctor.

"Nothing," one of them answered shortly. "It's as if she's vanished into thin air."

They headed into the cloakroom, the Doctor gesturing for Sarah to go ahead of him. As she stepped over the threshold, his hand on her back, she heard the unmistakable high pitched howl that she had heard on the first night, echoing somewhere in the distance. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck and she turned to the Doctor, who, instantly alert, had turned his head to listen intently. The howl rang out again and he turned back to meet Sarah's eyes.

"So." She said, in trepidation, "There's more than one."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

**Thank you, once again, for ploughing through my ramblings. I hope it's as enjoyable for you to read as it is for me to write.**


	7. Chapter 7

**The next installment…..**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 7**_

The Doctor stood on the doorstep for a few moments, listening intently. Sarah had instinctively moved nearer to him and he slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders. He furrowed his brow as he listened to a second and third howl progressively becoming more distant.

"Come on," he said drawing her away and steering her through the cloakroom. On their way into the entrance hall they encountered Andrew, the team leader who had led them down the river, storming out of the professor's office. He shook his head and almost spat his words at them.

"I _told_ Carter we ought to shut up shop when the last lad went missing. He doesn't know what he's dealing with!"

"What exactly _are _we dealing with here, Andrew?" the Doctor fired back at him, his tone sharp. "I suggest if you know something that might help Julie, you tell us now!"

"There's no helping her now," he said savagely, then pushed past them and jogged up the stairs. Sarah and the Doctor exchanged looks and the Doctor gave her a squeeze before releasing her and ushering her towards Professor Carter's office.

The professor greeted them with a despondent nod as they stepped through his door. He looked tired and worn and his shaking fingers as they gripped his mug marked him as a man who was exhausted, worried out of his mind, or one who had consumed far too much coffee over the course of the day. Probably all three, Sarah thought.

"Well," the Doctor said gravely as he looked down at the man sitting opposite where they stood.

"I know, I know," the professor sighed. "Clearly this girl didn't run away." He held up his hands in despair. "What can I do?"

"You could try locking your doors," Sarah muttered under her breath; the Doctor shot her a look and she bit her tongue.

"They _were_ locked last night." The professor insisted, banging his fist on the desk to emphasise his point.

"You can't stay open after this, surely?" the Doctor asked him.

"No, no. Of course not. The coaches have been ordered to take the pupils home tomorrow morning, two days early. The next cohort has been cancelled. I know one of the girl's teachers is going to stay behind for a little longer to assist with the ongoing search."

"And what was Andrew talking about?" Sarah prodded him, "he seemed to know something we don't!"

The professor shook his head in exasperation.

"It's just some ridiculous local legend." He explained. "The locals round here speak of a wolf who appears every few years and supposedly takes children in their teens. A child vanishes; the wolf is heard howling for a few days afterwards. Then nothing is heard of the wolf or the child again until the next time. Poppycock." He glanced at the Doctor's expression, which did not suggest he was wholly disbelieving.

"Oh, come on, you're a man of science! You can't think there's any foundation in such nonsense!" he blustered.

"In my experience, professor, even the most extraordinary stories tend to have some basis in fact."

He turned on his heel and left, Sarah throwing a hard look at the professor before following him. As they passed back through the entrance hall Sarah glanced through the window at the front drive, where a new shift of policemen had convened, armed with torches, ready to re-cover the grounds around the house. She shivered involuntarily as she thought of Julie out there, alone.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSS

In their room, the Doctor gazed out of the window at the clear starlit sky. Tiny pinpricks of light identified the torches of the searchers in the surrounding fields.

"Another hour or so," he decided. "Once the moon is up. That'll give us more light without frightening anything off."

Sarah shed her jacket and threw it over the chair before coming to stand by his elbow.

"Hunting for a wolf by moonlight. I suppose it's poetic if nothing else," she smiled up at him, trying to calm her nerves which were jangling at the very thought.

She turned and sat on the bottom bunk, picking up the newspaper that the Doctor had 'borrowed' from the library and lay back on the pillows to read it. The Doctor hopped onto the top bunk, the worn bedsprings giving a shriek as he sprawled himself across it. Before long his yoyo started to drop in and out of sight as he spun it up and down, his hand hanging over the edge of the bed. He was deep in thought, his mind whirring almost audibly as he processed everything they had learned.

After half an hour had passed, Sarah, who had found nothing of interest in the newspaper, eased herself off the lower bunk and onto her feet to stretch her back, rocking her head from side to side to eke out the knots that had formed over the course of the day.

"Tired?" the Doctor asked her companionably, catching and pocketing his yoyo, his head pillowed on his other hand, level with hers as he lay on the bunk.

"Not as much as I have been, strangely enough," she answered. "You'd think I'd be exhausted after all that walking and fresh air today. It's nice to see you not dropping off again." She added.

"Fresh air?" The Doctor frowned and then sat upright. "That's it!"

"What?" Sarah asked, confusion written all over her face.

"Don't you see? For two days I've been much more tired than usual, and so have you, as it happens, it's just not quite as noticeable given your need to sleep every night anyway."

"So…?" Sarah prompted him as he paused, the cogs obviously turning in his oversized brain.

He held up a finger to quieten her and then started searching the room. He climbed onto the desk and stretched upwards, twisting this way and that to see into the corners of the ceiling, then leaning into the centre of the room to inspect the light fitting. He jumped down and moved across to the window, opening and closing the shutters and pulling the curtains to one side, peering up into the rail. Obviously unsuccessful, he dropped to his stomach and crawled under the bed, his legs poking out comically into the room. If Sarah had not known him so well she would have been quite sure he'd lost his marbles at this point, but instead she waited patiently, her arms folded, for him to explain precisely what he was up to.

He emerged from the space under the bed and Sarah stifled a laugh at the amount of dust and fluff that had attached itself to his mop of hair. He sat back on his heels and sucked on his bottom lip, frowning as he looked around the room again. His gaze fell on the chest of drawers and he motioned to Sarah to join him as he moved towards it.

"Help me move this," he said, leaning over the top and slotting his fingers behind it.

Sarah looked dubiously at the huge, old piece of furniture. It was almost as tall as her, as wide as it was tall, and made of solid wood that was certainly going to take some shifting. The Doctor gritted his teeth and pulled and it jerked a few inches away from the wall. Sarah squeezed in behind it and leaned her whole weight into her shoulder, pushing as the Doctor pulled, and the chest slowly but surely moved, its ornate feet groaning against the floor.

"Can you see anything down there?" the Doctor asked.

Sarah shook her head, craning her neck to see the area of wall which they'd revealed. The wallpaper they had exposed was much brighter than that in the rest of the room, suggesting the chest of drawers had been there for a long time, and the skirting board was thick with dust.

"There's some sort of vent, but nothing else." She said, her voice muffled as she twisted and bent awkwardly down to see.

"A vent?" the Doctor asked. Being much larger than Sarah he couldn't fit behind the chest of drawers with her, so pulled himself up to lie on top of the piece of furniture, hanging his upper body down into the gap they'd made and peering into the corner.

"Hullo." He said. He reached back to pull out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the vent. He pushed himself back up on an elbow to examine the reading.

"Hmmm." He mulled.

"What is it?" Sarah asked impatiently.

"I think it's a sedative;" he said. "Something being put into the air here to – to use the colloquial term – 'knock everyone out'."

"Julie did say they'd all been very tired," Sarah mused, "they just put it down to being out in the field."

"Just enough to make sure everyone sleeps all night without raising any suspicion," the Doctor agreed. "I suspect it's being fed into the house and the classrooms. It appears not to be active now, though."

He slithered back off the drawers and onto his feet and held out a hand to help Sarah out of the tight gap.

They sat cross legged on the bottom bunk facing each other and Sarah held up her hand.

"So," she began, raising her index finger, "six children, to our knowledge, have disappeared from here over the last 20 odd years, and very possibly there were more before that."

The Doctor nodded his agreement and she continued to count off the points on her fingers.

"All the disappearances have been listed as runaways and the cases left unsolved; The locals have heard what we now know is some sort of wolf howling over the last few weeks; One wolf is dead, but there is at least one more; this ties in with a local legend of a wolf who appears every few years, coinciding with the disappearance of a child. And," she finished, "now we know the people staying here are being drugged in order to make them sleep more heavily."

They contemplated each other for a moment and then, without warning, there was a drawn out hissing noise from the vent. Sarah's head spun towards it and then back to face the Doctor who had whipped out the screwdriver and was pointing it at the vent in an effort to try and seal it; but the damage was done, and she felt herself collapsing forward onto his shoulder, his heavy bulk settling back into the pillows as his arms naturally came up to fold around her.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

**Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**More fluff than substance in this chapter before things pick up again in the next. Hope you enjoy!**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 8**_

Sarah groaned and fought the fogginess that was slowly lifting from her consciousness. Her whole body ached and her mind felt as though it was swimming in glue. Slowly, she became aware of certain details; she was lying on her front, which was odd because she never slept on her front. There was a heavy weight across her back; the surface she was lying on was warm and solid. And it was rising and falling. And it was itchy against her cheek. And it smelt of the Doctor.

The Doctor! Her eyes flew open, her head shot up and she sucked in a breath as the sudden movement caused the room to spin. She was lying, or rather sprawling, across his prone body, his arm pinning her against his chest. His other arm was folded upwards, his hand on the pillow next to his face. It took Sarah a moment to realise that her own hand was enveloped in it. She felt her cheeks start to grow hot at the compromising situation she found her self in, but as she adjusted her weight her other arm exploded with pins and needles and she registered that it was trapped between her body and the Doctor's. That must have been what had woken her up, she realised and she wriggled, attempting to lever her arm out from beneath her.

The Doctor shifted in his sleep and adjusted his grip, mercifully giving her enough room to free her arm, but pulling her firmly back into his side, his hand on her hip. For a tiniest moment, Sarah contemplated closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep again in his embrace; he was so warm and comforting; but she pulled herself together and set about waking him up.

"Doctor," she ventured, giving him a prod in the side and ignoring the tingles it sent up her arm as the blood flow returned.

"Mmpghfh," he responded, frowning rather endearingly in his sleep, and turning his face away to press it into their joined hands.

"Gosh, when you sleep, you really do it properly, don't you?" Sarah said, raising her voice a little. He stirred again and she drummed her fingers on his cheek, nudging him in the ribs again. His eyes finally flicked open and he turned to face her. His eyes focused and he looked ever so slightly confused; a look she had rarely seen on him.

"That was quite a dose they gave us, wasn't it?" Sarah murmured; she gently ran her hand over his jaw. "How are you faring?"

"It's already fading," he answered, widening his eyes and blinking rapidly as the fog cleared. "How about you?" he asked fondly.

Sarah groaned again "I feel like I've had a few glasses of wine, to say the least."

The Doctor chuckled. "It'll pass" he assured her. He turned his head to press a kiss to the back of her hand before releasing her and leaping off the bed.

"Come on," he said as he reached the door. "We've lost a whole night; I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

Sarah sighed and dragged herself up to follow him.

Out on the landing it was quiet; most of the bedroom doors were propped open and it became clear the floor was deserted. Sarah and the Doctor descended to the entrance hall and found the front door standing open. On the steps outside were a policeman and a man they had seen about the day before but had yet to meet properly; they were deep in conversation but turned to acknowledge the newcomers as they approached. The Doctor held out a hand and the man took it. He was around forty, with sandy blond hair and a grey jumper.

"Neil Dixon," he said by way of introduction, giving them a tired nod. Judging by the circles under his eyes he had been up most of the night.

"Julie's teacher, I presume?" the Doctor quizzed and Neil nodded wearily.

"Yes," he said, "I had to stay behind; I couldn't entertain the thought of going back without her."

Sarah sent him a sympathetic look.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked.

"They've left," Neil said in surprise. "Coaches picked all the pupils and the other teachers up first thing this morning. Didn't you hear them? They made a fair old racket getting everyone loaded up at once."

The Doctor shrugged and motioned towards Sarah. "Miss Smith and I thought we'd take a look round the classrooms this morning; perhaps there's something we've missed?"

The policeman gave them an agreeable nod.

"You're welcome to have a look. We've found nothing of interest though."

"Of course, I'm sure you've covered everything," Sarah assured him, "but one does like to feel one is being useful."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sarah leaned against one of the benches and rubbed her hand across her eyes. Her head was still pounding and her muscles felt like she'd done ten rounds. They had been searching the classrooms for some time, in the hope of finding something useful. If they had been in use for many years, perhaps someone had left something behind that might help. The Doctor was rummaging through the drawers in the desk, although she had no idea what he was looking for.

He stood suddenly, holding what looked like a class register up in front of him.

"See here? The same group leader had Stephen Grey's group last month. That's the first connection we've found, the first solid thing that links these two disappearances together."

He looked up at her and she peered blearily across at him.

"Sarah." He said, his voice suddenly gentle and full of concern. He took a step nearer and lifted his hands to cup her face, running his thumbs across her cheeks.

"What?" she mumbled, looking up into his kindly gaze.

"Despite pressing current circumstances," he said firmly, "I really think you need to get this out of your system. Let's go and find something to counteract it."

Sarah gave him a drunken smile in return before leaning her head forward into the crook of his neck. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and lifted her bodily into his arms to take her back to the TARDIS.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Drowsy as she was, on their way back up the gravel path from the classrooms Sarah could not help but look over the Doctor's shoulder, one eye on the vegetation around them.

"I doubt very much," the Doctor chuckled, "that a wolf is going to leap out in broad daylight."

Sarah shuddered. He may have been right, but it didn't stop her spine prickling.

"What's that over there?" she asked, her eyes suddenly picking out a tiny clearing off to their left. The Doctor followed her gaze and set her down, motioning for her to lead the way through the trees. She picked her way over the pine covered ground towards the clearing; brambles started to tug at her legs, and as she approached the clearing she realised it was no more than six by four feet and slightly sunken, brambles filling the hollow and rising up at one end as though they were covering something. The Doctor picked up a twig from the ground and pushed aside some of the brambles where they were thickest and highest, carefully pulling and pushing until he'd cleared a gap. Weathered stone became visible and Sarah gasped as she realised it was a gravestone.

The lettering was too worn and moss covered to read; it was impossible to say whose grave it was, or when they had died, or indeed if there was more than one person buried there. At the very top of the gravestone the lettering was slightly more deeply carved and Sarah could just make out a capital 'B', an 'a' and an 'f'.

"Does that say…?"

"Beddhafn," the Doctor finished for her.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

**I know this was a bit short and disjointed but hopefully things will start to come together in the next chapter. Let me know what you think, anyway. **


	9. Chapter 9

**And the story continues…..**

**Thanks again for reading, reviewing, following, favouriting…. You're all wonderful.**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 9**_

The Doctor set Sarah Jane down on one of the sickbay beds, steadying her with a hand on her hip as she swayed, and set about pulling bottles and packets out of various drawers, humming to himself as he worked. He filled a glass with water and added a pinch of powder from one of the packets he had produced, giving it a swirl with his wrist before handing it to Sarah with a flourish.

"What is it?" she asked suspiciously, giving the liquid a cautious sniff.

"Just a mild restorative," the Doctor assured her, "something to help clear the sedative out of your system."

While Sarah drank the strange tasting cordial he had given her, the Doctor produced the paperwork he had taken from the classroom and started to flick through it, scattering the pages across the bed next to her. He tapped the top of the most recent one that had Julie's class details on it.

"See here? Group leader, Rebecca Evans." He thumbed through a few more pages and pulled out another sheet. "And here? Group Leader, Rebecca Evans, and who do we see on the class list? Stephen Grey."

"It could just be a coincidence, Doctor," Sarah said doubtfully, "after all, there are only five groups each week; it was a fairly big chance that they would have had the same leader."

"Hmm," the Doctor agreed. "Let's take a look at the paperwork for the other pupils. It means going back into the house though; we shall have to be mindful."

Sarah shook her head; she was feeling better by the minute.

"No, it doesn't" she said, reaching into her coat and pulling out the folded papers.

"Oh, you're a good girl, Sarah" said the Doctor indulgently, giving her a wide grin.

Together they leafed through the papers.

"There, look," Sarah said, feeling the first twinges of excitement at the story starting to come together. "Susan Underwood's group leader was Rebecca Evans as well."

The Doctor shook his head as he held up Michael Jenkins' paperwork. "Group leader, Bronwen Jones."

"Oh," Sarah sagged, disappointed. She idly ran her eye through the wad of papers in her hand, her mind running nineteen to the dozen as she mentally stepped back to square one.

"Wait," she said as something odd leapt out at her.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows in question; human brains could be so irritatingly slow, but Sarah was intelligent and he could spare a few seconds to allow her to collect her thoughts. They were normally worth the wait.

"Look," she said, holding out one of the signing in and out sheets. "Susan Underwood's class were out in the field the day before she disappeared. They all signed out at around quarter to nine in the morning, but Susan didn't sign out until after two o'clock."

The Doctor's interest was piqued. He swiftly flicked through the papers he was holding.

"Same here," he said, "the day before his disappearance Michael Jenkins signs out at one forty five in the afternoon; the rest of his class were out from nine."

The two of them both reached for the paperwork for Stephen Grey's week and the Doctor got there first. Sarah twisted round from her perch on the bed to look over his shoulder.

"Aha!" he said in triumph as he found what he was looking for; "According to his timetable he was supposed to be at the beach until after lunch on Saturday; but Stephen signed out several hours later than his classmates."

Sarah looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"And Julie was in the same position; her injury meant she couldn't be out in the field, she had to rejoin her classmates when they were back in the labs."

"Four pupils; all disappearing from their bed at night, all for some reason or another out of action the day before." The Doctor ruminated.

"Deliberate injuries?" ventured Sarah.

The Doctor shook his head. "No; I would guess the injuries - _if_ they were all injured that is, lets not jump to conclusions - were normal occurrences, but they provided the opportunity for those pupils to be left alone in the house and more strongly exposed to the sedative in the air. Whoever abducted them would know they'd be the least likely to wake. They saw their chance and took it."

The Doctor and Sarah contemplated each other for a moment. For the tiniest fraction of a second Sarah saw his gaze uncharacteristically soften. He lifted a hand to her cheek and tilted her head to look at her properly, running his thumb across her chin.

"How are you feeling? Better?"

"Mmm, much," she nodded.

"Good," said the Doctor, stacking the papers and shoving them somewhere into the recesses of his coat, "because we've work to do."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

On the front drive, the Policeman they'd seen earlier talking to Neil Dixon was still at his post. He held a clipboard and nodded to acknowledge them as they approached.

"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to properly introduce ourselves. I'm Doctor Smith; this is my friend Miss Smith. No relation." he quantified as he had done for Professor Carter.

"Sergeant Wilkes" the policeman answered, his clipped tones and military stance reminding Sarah irresistibly of the Brigadier.

The Doctor glanced at the clipboard in the sergeant's hand.

"We're wondering about one of the centre staff, Rebecca Evans;" he said, raising his eyebrows. "Is she still here?"

At Sergeant Wilkes's suspicious look, Sarah chipped in.

"We thought we'd see how she is, since she taught the missing girl, albeit only briefly. It's part of our role as school inspectors, you know." She gave him what she hoped was a winning smile.

The sergeant grunted and began to scan through his clipboard.

"Rebecca Evans is out with the village search party," he confirmed. "She and the one of the local men are covering the area at the far end of the village around the church."

The Doctor inclined his head and offered Sarah his elbow.

"Shall we?"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

As they passed through the village, Sarah couldn't help but notice how quiet it was again. The pub was closed since it was still only just after ten in the morning, the shop seemed deserted and there was not a soul about. They walked through the green, and as they approached the church Sarah could make out two people sitting on the churchyard wall, their backs to herself and the Doctor, sharing a thermos.

"Hello there," called the Doctor, and both heads turned at his greeting.

"Rebecca Evans?" he asked of the woman. She was around Sarah's age; a little taller and more heavily built, wearing jeans under a baggy jumper and her long sandy coloured hair secured in a single plait. She had the ruddy complexion of one who spent a great deal of time outdoors.

"Yes," she answered cautiously. "You're the school inspector, aren't you?"

"In a manner of speaking." the Doctor answered.

"Owain Jones," said the man next to her, immediately recognisable as the landlord who'd served them the day before. He hopped down from the wall and leaned across it to shake the Doctor's hand, giving Sarah what she presumed was meant to be a dashing smile, but which unfortunately came off as more of a leer. Sarah shuddered.

"Rebecca," she said, turning her attention back to the woman who looked rather disinclined to speak. She was still sitting on the wall, her head only turned just enough to acknowledge she was being addressed.

"You were teaching Julie this week, weren't you?" Sarah probed, trying to speak gently. Rebecca nodded, looking down at the thermos lid half full of tea in her hands.

"How did she hurt herself?" Sarah asked.

Rebecca shrugged. "She slipped and fell on the rocks at the beach. It's easy enough to do, especially when the tide's not long gone out. The seaweed makes it slippery."

"And what about Stephen Grey?" the Doctor asked. "Did he hurt himself, too?"

Rebecca stiffened at his words and Owain sent her a sideways glance.

"He was in your group as well, wasn't he?" the Doctor continued, resting his elbows on the wall and leaning over it so it was harder for her to avoid his gaze.

"He almost broke his arm mucking about on the sand dunes." Rebecca told him, her voice quiet. "Stupid boy wouldn't listen and he ended up falling down the slope onto the beach."

"So he had to stay at the house the next day? The day before he disappeared?" the Doctor prompted her.

"Yes," Rebecca nodded. "The next day we were going to the most inaccessible of our beaches, even rockier than the one Julie injured herself on. It wouldn't have been safe for him to try and balance with an arm out of action."

"And Susan Underwood?" asked Sarah with a withering look at Owain who was quite obviously giving her the eye.

"Susan Underwood?" for the first time Rebecca turned her head to fully face them. "Who?"

"Susan Underwood is the pupil who went missing four years ago from Beddhafn." The Doctor explained, with the air of someone who knows he is not imparting anything new. "She was in your group as well. I would have thought you'd remember something like that."

"No. Sorry, I don't" said Rebecca bluntly.

"Come on," said Owain, "we've got to cover the rest of this patch before I have to go and open up." He nodded to the Doctor and Sarah and took the cup from Rebecca's hands, emptying the dregs before screwing it back on to the thermos. Rebecca jumped down and followed him as he picked his way across the churchyard, her arms wrapped around herself and her head down.

"She knows something, Doctor," said Sarah.

"I would agree, Sarah. I would agree."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS S

**Thanks for coming this far with me! Next chapter up soon.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I hope everyone is still enjoying this, couple more chapters after this one I think….**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 10**_

The Doctor and Sarah surveyed each other.

"I need to get back into the house" the Doctor said. "I want to have another look at those vents."

"But the sedative," Sarah worried, "we still haven't found out who's operating it – they could knock us out again, and for longer this time."

The Doctor shook his head. "Now that I'm forewarned I can adjust my metabolism to counteract it. I can't do the same for you though," he added softly, his gaze affectionate. "A hypnotic suggestion may not be strong enough."

Sarah squared her shoulders and gestured around at the village.

"Not to worry, I can do some poking around here." She assured him.

He smiled, reaching out to give her shoulder a squeeze.

"I'll see you back at the manor then? At sunset, shall we say? It may not be wise for you to linger out here alone after dark."

Sarah nodded her agreement and paused for a moment, watching him turn on his heel and walk away. Her gaze returned to the church behind her and she walked under the kissing gate and slowly up the path, heading through the slightly ajar door into the cool interior. It was a small church, with room for perhaps a hundred parishioners. The door was at the side and she had entered between two of the pews. To her right was the tiny alter situated under a stained glass window, while to her left at the rear of the church was a small stone booth where a single bell ringer could stand. She took a cautious step forward, taking in the carvings around the wall which showed the Stations of the Cross; naturally craning her neck to find the first picture so she could follow them round in order, she was surprised by a slight cough behind her.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, whipping her head back round to be greeted by the vicar in his black shirt and dog collar. He was a small man, balding with a slightly nervous demeanour.

"I'm sorry," he apologised, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, no it's alright," Sarah reassured him. "I was just admiring your church, it's rather beautiful."

"I've always thought so," he smiled at her and she couldn't help but take an instant liking to him.

"You're not local." He stated, "Are you here about the missing girl?"

Sarah nodded. "In a manner of speaking," she echoed the Doctor's earlier words. "But I was actually just wondering if you could tell me about the history of the village?"

The vicar looked surprised at her question.

"Of course. The village itself dates back to medieval times. This church is over five hundred years old."

"And what about the legend about a wolf?" Sarah prompted him.

"Ah," he chuckled, "you mean _that_ sort of history. Well, take a pew, as they say."

Sarah sat down and the vicar sat next to her, leaning back to adjust his jacket before regarding her with a smile.

"As you may, or may not know," he began, "the wolf was hunted to extinction in Britain in around the 15th century. However, in the early seventeen hundreds the people of this village were being terrorised by one. Just the one, they say although I suppose that seems unlikely. The villagers would hear it howling; it would steal their livestock and sometimes even try to get into their cottages. It went on for some months and things came to a head when a local man, a well respected farmer, lost his life protecting his young child."

He paused, and Sarah leaned forward, in silent invitation for him to continue.

"There was man living just outside the village, something of an outcast; the people believed him to be some sort of warlock, dabbling in the black arts. He offered to take on this wolf, and the people readily agreed. They had nothing to lose, and if he were to be killed by the wolf, well, so much the better. No one knows how he did it. But once he put his method to work, the wolf left them alone. The people paid him handsomely for his efforts. But the wolf returned; every few months the people would dig into their pockets and pay the man to stave it off. He was always successful and they came to have complete faith in him."

"Who was he?" asked Sarah, entranced.

"I don't know his real name. I only know he went by 'Beddhafn'." At Sarah's look of surprise, he tipped his head in the general direction of the window, sending her a look of confirmation. "Yes, with his new found wealth he built the house, on the grounds of his old cottage. He set himself up as a sort of Lord of the Manor; and curiously enough once he'd made his money, the wolf was never seen or heard of again." This last part was delivered with a wry smile.

Sarah sat back in the pew, her mind buzzing with all she had learned.

"But the wolf that's been around recently? What do you make of that?"

The vicar shrugged "I've no idea I'm afraid. But I think Professor Carter is fooling himself if he thinks these disappearances are unrelated."

Sarah gnawed on her lip.

"Thank you," she said, rising and taking the vicar's hand.

"A pleasure, my dear," he said, gripping her hand with both of his. "Be careful. The Lord be with you."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The Doctor slowly entered the Manor, scouting quickly around the rooms on the ground floor and finding them deserted. He moved into the television room, scanning the walls and finding a vent located near the skirting board behind one of the armchairs. He worked quickly, levering off the cover and using the sonic screwdriver to emit a pulsing sound, listening carefully to ascertain which way the sound rebounded from. Judging the direction the shaft behind the vent originated from below him, he stood and headed for the basement stairs.

In the basement he stood, surveying the area around him to get his bearings, and finally aiming for the records room. It all appeared very much as he and Sarah had left it, but something caught his eye.

"Hullo," he murmured to himself, popping a jelly baby into his mouth and then bodily moving one of the filing cabinets, revealing a small door, which he opened with the sonic screwdriver. He almost had to bend double to fit through, but his efforts were rewarded when he found what he was looking for in the little room beyond; a large stove like device, situated under a flue. On the stovetop was a huge glass bottle of the kind that often adorned chemist's windows, filled with what he guessed was ether or the like, fortunately currently stoppered.

"Primitive," he muttered, "but effective."

Pausing to readjust his metabolic rate once again, he carefully unstoppered the bottle, dipping his littlest finger and licking it, his brow furrowed. Considering his options, he decided to head back to the TARDIS to analyse the substance properly.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sarah smiled her thanks at the vicar and left the church, the mid afternoon sunshine causing her to blink after the comparative darkness of the church. More time had passed than she thought and she mentally noted the position of the sun, guessing she had around five more hours until nightfall. She headed down the path, reflecting ruefully that a watch wouldn't go amiss for the occasions she was actually on Earth.

As she crossed the green she saw Bryn walking away from the pub, aiming for the cottages at the other end of the village. She raised an arm in greeting and received a curt nod in reply. She briefly considered following him but decided to try the pub first; with any luck, there would be some more forthcoming locals who could add to the vicar's story. And besides, she was hungry and with any luck the pub would serve food.

To her disappointment, Sarah stepped into the pub to find it completely empty. Owain was nowhere to be seen, presumably changing a barrel or carrying out some other work behind the scenes. Never one to miss an opportunity, she took the chance to have a good look around, considering the various paintings on the walls. They were typical of a country pub, watercolours of local scenes, oils of hounds being hunted by horsemen, the horses clearing hedges with impossibly outstretched legs. The last picture she reached drew her attention and she stood for a moment in front of it, her heart starting to jitter, although she wasn't altogether sure why. The painting was tiny, and it featured a man dressed in old fashioned robes, throwing out some sort of powder with his hand. In the corner of the painting cowered a wolf.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The Doctor stood in the TARDIS sickbay, carefully washing the sedative off his finger. The TARDIS had analysed it as a form of ether, as he had suspected, and he was beginning to feel frustrated with their lack of progress. He mentally noted the time, and how long he had before meeting Sarah. For a moment he felt the tiniest tug at his hearts at the thought of her; a recent development that he was doing his best to ignore. A few months ago he might have suggested that his hypnosis would be enough to keep her safe from the sedative, but now he was simply not willing to risk it. Shaking his head to clear it of unwelcome thoughts, he decided to have a look at the wolf's body. Perhaps, he ruminated, it may have traces of its surroundings on its coat or pads and he would be able to pinpoint where it may have come from.

He unsealed the freezer compartment and rolled out the tray.

It wasn't often the Doctor was taken aback, but he was certainly taken aback now.

On the tray lay the naked body of Stephen Grey.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

**I know, I know, another cliff hanger…. Bahahaha.**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, onto chapter 11. I know there were some problems with the last chapter not appearing – not sure what happened there! In the process of trying to fix it I managed to upload an unedited version so I've been back and fixed a couple of things. Nothing major but you may want to revisit before reading this chapter. **

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 11**_

The Doctor gaped down at the body lying before him and attempted to take in this unexpected development. For a mad moment, he pressed his fingers to Stephen's lifeless neck, hoping against all reason to find a pulse but of course none was forthcoming. His mind whirred, quickly processing the information before him. The thoughts clanked around in his brain before reordering themselves into some semblance of coherence.

The wolf was Stephen.

The wolf's DNA had been meddled with.

Stephen had been transformed into a wolf.

Someone had meddled with Stephen's DNA.

_That meant someone had most likely done the same to Julie._

The Doctor removed a blood sample from Stephen's arm. An antidote was what they needed, and they needed it now.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sarah stared at the painting in fascination, wondering if this was a portrait of Beddhafn; then without warning an iron hard arm closed around her shoulders, pulling her back into a solid chest, and a sickly sweet smelling handkerchief was pressed over her mouth and nose. In vain she struggled, but he was too strong. Her eyes strained to the side, trying to see who had her; they reached the window and the last thing she saw before blacking out was a man's face peering in.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The Doctor worked as fast as he could. He had commandeered one of the labs, preferring to be out in the 'world' so to speak rather than hidden in the TARDIS. He had a feeling that events were rapidly drawing to a head and he wanted to be in the thick of it. That said, he had still drawn the blinds and locked the door while he worked.

An elaborate network of test tubes and burettes was set up on the bench in front of him. His mind was quick, quicker than any human's and using the sample from Stephen's blood, he had already formed the basis of an antidote; but he was starkly aware that it had to be _right_. Nothing slapdash or half-baked would do here. A girl's life was at stake.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sarah awoke, for the fourth time in almost as many days feeling as though she had been force fed a bottle of wine and then hit on the head with a mallet. Only this time she did not have the comforting bulk of the Doctor lying next to her, or underneath her for that matter. Instead, she was lying on her back on a hard hospital trolley. For a moment she thought her muscles were paralysed, but then it became apparent she was strapped down at the wrists and ankles. She became aware of a discomfort in her left arm, and on craning her neck she could see someone had inserted a cannula into her radial vein. It stung like a cat scratch and her heart started to pound. Where on Earth was she?

Owain loomed over her, reaching up a hand to gently stroke her hair. She shrank away from his touch in distaste.

"Calm, now," he said, "your heart rate needs to come down a bit before I inject the serum."

"What?" Sarah exclaimed, panic starting to grip her.

"It won't work if you're in such a state you know. I doesn't hurt; at least I don't think it does, all the others were asleep when I injected them."

Sarah observed him as he turned away from her and started arranging items on a workbench opposite the trolley.

"All the others? Do you mean all those missing pupils?"

"They keep _dying_" Owain said, his disgruntled tone akin to someone complaining about the queue in the post office.

"What do you do to them?" Sarah whispered.

"I should explain," Owain began, "Isn't that what all the great criminal masterminds do?"

Sarah rolled her eyes despite her predicament.

"Beddhafn was my ancestor; my great great, well," he paused reflectively, "six or seven greats anyway - grandfather. He was a quite extraordinary man, you know. People thought he was a witch doctor, or a warlock or that he'd sold his soul to the devil. But he was quite the opposite. A man of science."

His tone was almost reverential, and Sarah began to feel a tiny flickering of hope that she could keep him talking until the Doctor found her.

"He had developed this serum, you see. A serum that turned him into a wolf whenever he took it. A sort of Jekyll and Hyde thing I suppose, although he remained in control of his faculties while he was in wolf form. He was clever enough to use it to his advantage."

"He killed a man!" Sarah burst out, unable to contain herself.

"Collateral damage," Owain said, his voice cold. "If the villagers had thought to turn to him sooner, he wouldn't have had to have been so drastic."

Sarah looked at him with frank disgust. But self preservation took over and she attempted to prompt him into telling her more.

"So he built the house? That would be his grave on the grounds, I suppose?"

"Yes," Owain answered curtly. "It was our family home for many generations."

"But not any more." Sarah stated.

"No." Owain looked over his shoulder at her. "My father gambled away what was left of his inheritance and was forced to sell Beddhafn when I was a baby. For years I've had to watch those kids come and go, treating my family's house like a hostel."

"And so this is your answer?" Sarah asked, "trying to recreate your grandfather's serum? What could you possibly hope to achieve?"

Owain looked down at her again, his eyes distant.

"Don't you see? If I can bring back the wolf, no-one will want the house anymore. It'll be mine for the taking."

Sarah could not see a way of arguing with his warped logic. She became acutely aware that she was in the clutches of someone who was quite irrational. Somehow, that thought scared her far more than facing any amount of hostile aliens.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSS

The Doctor held up the syringe full of antidote. Carefully, carefully he placed a stopper on the end and then concealed it in an inside pocket of his coat. A noise in the corner of the classroom caught his attention and he turned quickly on the spot to find Rebecca standing by the blackboard. His eyes flicked to the still locked door.

"How did you…ah – underground tunnels is it? Clearly whoever built this place wanted a link to the village, I imagine."

Rebecca's countenance registered the tiniest flicker of surprise at the speed of his deduction, but she recovered quickly.

"Yes," the Doctor continued half to himself, "I would imagine that's how you get into the basement to open the sedative too, is it? And there we were, fretting about an unlocked door."

Rebecca's face started to crumple and her words came in a sudden rush.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, "I'm so, so, sorry. But Uncle Owain…."

"Never mind," the Doctor said more gently. "Do you know where Julie is?"

Rebecca nodded and the Doctor collected himself.

"Well, then. What are we waiting for?"

Rebecca turned and moved to the side, opening the cupboard door behind her to reveal the way she had come. The shelves in the cupboard swung neatly aside revealing a dank tunnel behind. The Doctor picked up the sonic screwdriver and switched on the light; on a whim he turned back to the bench and swiftly prepared a second syringe of antidote, squirreling it away in his pocket with the first. It never hurt to be prepared.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSS

Out of the corner of her eye Sarah saw Owain draw up some clear liquid from a glass bottle into an intravenous syringe. The urgency of the situation gripped her and she attempted to draw his attention back to their conversation.

"Is that what you've been doing with the missing children then? Experimenting?"

Owain shrugged.

"I needed subjects; I couldn't test it on myself in case I failed to return to human form. My wife Bronwen was most useful at picking suitable candidates, until she died; it was her idea to use the ether you know. Tubercolosis took her from me ten years ago." At this revelation his voice cracked, but he steeled himself and continued.

"But then Rebecca took over her class and proved herself most useful in telling me when a pupil had been forced to stay in the house for longer than average. It was simple enough for me to use the underground link my grandfather built to open the ether."

"But you've done yourself out of subjects," Sarah pointed out, "Taking Julie so soon after Stephen has made everyone realise something's going on. Do you think they won't link it back to you?"

Owain held up the syringe, flicking it with a fingertip to bring the air bubbles to the top before depressing the plunger to expel them.

"I'm too close, now. Don't you understand? I can't wait any longer. And it was my wife's dying wish that I achieve this. I can't fail her."

He placed the syringe down on a metal tray next to the trolley and leaned over Sarah, smiling almost kindly down at her.

"Such a pretty girl. I do hope it works this time. It would be a shame if you never turned back."

With that, he leaned over and screwed the syringe into the cannula, using his arm to hold down Sarah and stop her frantic struggles.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SS

The Doctor followed Julie down the low ceilinged tunnel hewn out of the earth. He guessed from the direction and the slope that they were currently underneath the house, and sure enough before long he spotted a trapdoor in the ceiling that would surely lead into the tiny room in the basement containing the bottle of ether. They progressed further and the tunnel split in two, one half heading off in the direction of the village, while the other led off to the left. It was this latter tunnel that they followed. It twisted and turned, first uphill and then down until even the Doctor had lost track of where they were. Eventually the ground under their feet started to slope upwards again and the Doctor saw a hint of daylight filtering through a thick curtain of vegetation at the tunnel's mouth. They emerged out onto a steep slope and the Doctor realised they were halfway up the bank they had found the wolf's, no, he corrected himself, _Stephen's _body at the foot of. And lying in front of them, in much the same condition was a slightly smaller wolf, this one obviously female. She was lying half buried in leaves and dirt, concealed by a large bush so that she was only visible from the tunnel's mouth.

The Doctor knelt over the distressed animal, his hand pressed against its heaving side. "Shhh," he murmured, taking the syringe from his pocket. He gently parted the hair on the wolf's foreleg, and found a vein. Inserting the syringe, he injected the antidote and sat back on his heels, apprehensively waiting for the result. After a few moments he noticed the wolf's fur was becoming shorter and it became apparent that it was receding into its body. Its legs lengthened and thickened, its body slimmed; its snout started to shrink back into its face and long red hair started to pour from the back of its head. Gradually, the shivering, naked form of Julie appeared before them.

The Doctor sent a sharp glance at Rebecca.

"Give me your jumper," he barked at her. She quickly complied, shedding the jumper and handing it to him. He carefully slipped an arm under Julie's prone form and sat her up, pulling the jumper over her head and arranging it around her. He wrestled one of her arms through the sleeve and Rebecca did the same with the other. Julie was mumbling and stirring,, starting to wake.

"Come on" the Doctor gently chided her, pulling her arm around his shoulders and hauling her to her feet. He was tempted to carry her, but he knew getting her moving even by the slightest amount would assist the antidote on its way round her circulatory system. He settled for walking next to her, his arm around her waist, giving her a tiny lift to bring her feet clear of the ground whenever it looked rough. Together they headed back up the bank, through the copse and back over the field towards the house. Sergeant Wilkes was back at his post on the front steps and was talking with Professor Carter who was looking even more sleep deprived than he had the day before.

"Hullo there!" called the Doctor, and the two men whipped their heads towards him. The Sergeant reacted instantly, turning his head to the professor and barking an order.

"Call an ambulance. Quick, man!"

Professor Carter sprinted back into the house and the sergeant came forward to help the Doctor with Julie.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sarah's breath was coming in quick gasps. After injecting around a quarter of the serum intravenously, Owain had taped the syringe to her arm and gone upstairs to open the pub, leaving her with a promise that he would be back to inject more in a short while. Sarah pulled at her bonds, but her mind was becoming foggy and her muscles were not responding as they should. Hating feeling so helpless, she closed her eyes and sent a wordless plea to the universe that the Doctor would find her before it was too late.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The police were starting to gather now, the nearest officers having heard the commotion and blown their whistles to summon those further away. The Doctor and the sergeant passed Julie over to a WPC, who helped her walk along the path up the waiting ambulance. The Doctor watched as Julie was loaded into the back and it turned slowly around the drive before picking up speed and starting its siren as it drove away. Rebecca was still hovering at his elbow; he ignored her for now, but didn't dismiss her completely; she could be very useful. The Doctor glanced up at the sky, tuning out the cacophony of questions being thrown at him. It was almost nightfall and Sarah was supposed to have been waiting here for him; she, now, was his first concern. As he scanned the area, the first prickles of worry beginning to catch at him, Bryn appeared from behind a bush and stood before him, his weight leaning on his stick.

"I don't know what's going on here," he said, looking at the hustle and bustle, "but I think you need to find your young friend, Sir."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

**Hope everyone is still enjoying the ride, nearly there now...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well, here we come to the end of this little saga. I do hope you all enjoyed it, and if you haven't left a review yet, please do, I'd love to know what you think.**

**I mentioned at the beginning that Beddhafn Manor is based on a place I went to when I was 17. I should point out that the Red Dragon pub is also based on a real place, so special thanks are owed to a weird country pub in the middle of nowhere, full of friendly locals who helped me out many years ago when I was stranded with no money/phone (long story!).**

**SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS**

_**The Wolves of Beddhafn – chapter 12**_

The Doctor stared at Bryn, a cold, gripping fear he had rarely felt before starting to claw at his hearts. He turned to Rebecca.

"Take me to her." He demanded.

At Rebecca's look of hesitation he gripped her upper arm and leaned in to press his point.

"_Now."_

Rebecca nodded, obviously frightened at the Doctor's sudden change in demeanour.

"This way," she said in hardly more than a whisper.

She led them across the drive to the far side of the house and through a gate into the kitchen garden. Rows of vegetables lined the path and at the far end was a compost heap; behind this was another gate which had all the appearance of leading out of the other end of the garden into the field beyond. Rebecca pulled out an old fashioned key from the pocket of her jeans and turned the lock with a creak. The gate opened at her pull, revealing a tiny recess set into the thick wall, and in the ground was a hole, around the same size and shape as a manhole, hewn out of the mud. Rebecca pointed down into the ground.

"This tunnel joins the one that leads to the village. It's straighter than the road and will bring you out where you need to be." She explained.

"Oh, no you don't" said the Doctor seeing her intention. "You're coming with us."

Rebecca looked even more frightened at the thought but caved when she saw the look in the Doctor's eyes.

He jumped feet first into the hole and landed like a cat on the ground below. At Bryn's behest Rebecca jumped in after him and then Bryn sat on the edge, dangling his legs into the hole. Rebecca reached up and took his stick from him, and the Doctor offered him an arm to help him down.

The three of them collected themselves and the Doctor took in his surroundings. The tunnel obviously began at this point and there was only one direction for them to go. He gripped Rebecca's arm and pulled in front of him, bidding her to lead the way. She produced a torch from her back pocket, holding it aloft.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

In the ambulance, Julie muttered and thrashed around in her distress. The WPC shushed her and attempted to calm her down, gently stroking her hair and whispering kind words. Julie started to mutter more loudly, repeating the same words over and over again. The WPC reached for her radio and called for Sergeant Wilkes.

"Sir? I think you need to hear this."

She put the radio next to Julie's face and held it still while Julie's voice became clearer and more insistent, the words starting to become coherent over the wail of the sirens.

"Red Dragon. Red Dragon. _Red Dragon._"

"Received and understood" chirruped the tinny voice over the radio.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sarah's still form lay on the trolley, the second dose of serum working its way around her circulatory system. She had lost consciousness at this point and the only sound in the room was the steady drip of a tap in the corner and the muffled sound of footsteps in the pub above.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The Doctor hastened along, chivvying Rebecca ahead of him. They had joined the larger tunnel that lead into the village and he was increasingly aware that with each passing minute Sarah was in ever greater danger. He knew now that she was likely to be the next victim. He felt for the little cylinder shaped ridge that was the extra syringe of antidote he'd placed in his pocket and hoped that it would work; he guessed that the serum was a work in progress and he had no idea how much it had been developed since its last use. This antidote might not work; the changes might happen more rapidly, it could be that the latest version would kill its subject more quickly. Certainly Julie had been close to death only two days after disappearing, whereas Stephen had presumably lasted a month in wolf form. It may not even be reversible anymore; worry gnawed at him, an uncomfortable feeling he wasn't accustomed to.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Upstairs in the Red Dragon Owain looked up as the door swung open and several policemen filed in. A prickle of unease made him kick the cellar hatch shut behind him and then he plastered on a smile.

"Good evening officers. What'll it be? Four pints of our best bitter? On the house of course."

Seargeant Wilkes came to the front of the group.

"Actually Mr Jones, we're here to ask you some questions. About Julie Green."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The Doctor felt the tunnel begin to slope upwards and they came to a set of stone steps which led up to another heavy looking door. Julie pulled out the same key and turned it in the lock, apprehensively swinging the door open. It opened no more than eighteen inches or so, its progress barred by a stack of beer barrels. She stood to the side and held the door for the Doctor who shouldered his way through, Bryn close on his heels.

The stood in the middle of the cellar, the Doctor getting his bearings once more, than without hesitation he aimed for a door in the corner of the room.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

"Julie Green?" Owain asked, his brow furrowed in mock confusion. He eyed the clock in the corner of the room. Soon it would be time for Sarah's third dose and he didn't know what would happen if he was late administering it.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Downstairs the Doctor burst through the door into the second cellar room and took in the scene before him. Sarah lay, still and white on the trolley in what appeared to be a makeshift lab. The syringe now only half full of serum was still attached to the cannula in her vein. An unprecedented surge of fury overtook him and he cleared the space between them in two strides. Bending over her, he pressed his fingers to Sarah's temples and pressed into her mind. Alongside the usual mishmash of images that an unconscious mind normally produced, there were a series of disjointed, animalistic instincts surging about within her.

The Doctor withdrew his fingers and forced himself to act rationally; it was vital he got this right and acting with more passion than sense would not help her. He examined the syringe and mentally calculated how much serum Sarah had been administered. He carefully removed it from the cannula and tossed it aside with disgust, then produced the antidote from his pocket, expelling some to balance the fact that he did not have to circumvent a full dose. Hoping that his calculations were correct, he screwed the syringe into the cannula and slowly injected the antidote.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Owain started to back away behind the bar.

"I'm sorry officers, I just need to change a barrel; shouldn't take more than five minutes." He edged towards the trapdoor, levering it open again with his foot. As he took a step backwards with the intention of turning to flee, Bryn appeared behind him on the cellar steps waving his stick.

"Nab him now boys!" he shouted at the policemen who fell upon Owain as one man, pressing him over the bar and handcuffing his wrists.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Sarah took a rasping breath and her eyes shot open. Her vision was hazy and the man standing over her was blurred and out of focus, but instantly recognisable.

"Doctor!"

She tried to sit up but the Doctor held her down with a gentle hand on her chest.

"Hold fire for a minute Sarah," he said softly, moving his hand to undo the restraints at her wrists. He slid a hand under her shoulders and sat her up, bringing her forward to lean on his shoulder while her body started to regain some natural movement. Loathe to let her go, he kept one arm around her, supporting her with his chest while he reached over with his other arm to unstrap her ankles.

"Hold out your arm," he requested and as she complied he reached over her shoulder with the arm holding her up to press a finger to her vein before sliding out the cannula with his free hand. She hissed in pain and sent her an apologetic look, running the pad of his thumb tenderly over the little wound which was already starting to close. He turned her to face him, cupping her face with his hands and staring into her eyes.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Like I narrowly escaped being transformed into a wolf by a madman with more scientific knowledge than common sense. And you?" she said with the ghost of a tired smile.

He chuckled and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"That's my girl."

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Together they climbed the stairs to the bar, the Doctor's arm firmly around her waist. He wasn't sure he wanted to let go just yet and Sarah was not objecting. They arrived upstairs just in time to see Owain being loaded into the back of a police van; Rebecca it seemed had fled into the night.

Professor Carter stood outside, leaning on the bonnet of his car.

"I followed the police down here," he said, almost apologetically. "Can I offer you a lift back to the Manor? It seems the least I can do."

Gratefully they accepted and Sarah was surprised when the Doctor joined her in the back seat, holding her against his side, his fingers running gently up and down her upper arm.

"There's just one thing left to do," he murmured against her ear.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

The TARDIS materialised in the tunnel below the pub, and the Doctor and Sarah emerged. The Doctor had Stephen's body wrapped in a sheet, thrown over his shoulder. He carried him into the cellar and laid him behind some barrels, taking care to place him down gently.

"It feels wrong, somehow, leaving him here like this," Sarah said, wrapping her arms around herself and trying to avoid shivering now she was back in this place.

"I know," the Doctor acknowledged. "But it's for the best. The police will be searching the pub and they'll find him here; he'll be returned to his family and the finger will be quite rightly pointed at Owain rather than anyone else."

The two of them took a last look around the cellar before heading back into the TARDIS and facing each other next to the console.

"Where to now, Doctor?" asked Sarah, smiling up at him. The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug, surprising her by dropping a kiss on the corner of her mouth. Then he pulled back, holding her at arm's length and grinned, tilting his head towards the console;

"Let's see where she takes us next, eh?"

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

**FIN**


End file.
